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by wodenokoto 3710 days ago
The thing is, companies like Google, Facebook and Apple are kinda companies of great britain or at least Ireland. They have bases in Ireland for tax purposes and to comply with certain data retention laws.

That aside, it is not really too much to ask that a company that does business in England abide by English law.
2 comments
TAForObvReasons 3710 days ago
> The thing is, companies like Google, Facebook and Apple are kinda companies of great britain or at least Ireland.

It's useful to read the terms of service:

All Google interactions are with the US entity: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/terms/ identify

    The Services are provided by Google Inc. (“Google”), located at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States.
Facebook actually segregates US/Canada users from users of other countries: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms

    If you are a resident of or have your principal place of business in the US or Canada, this Statement is an agreement between you and Facebook, Inc.  Otherwise, this Statement is an agreement between you and Facebook Ireland Limited.  References to “us,” “we,” and “our” mean either Facebook, Inc. or Facebook Ireland Limited, as appropriate.
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JoshTriplett 3710 days ago
I'd certainly agree that a company with a legal nexus in a given country must obey that country's laws (or leave).

But "does business in England" and "has a legal nexus in England" are two different things, depending on your definition of "does business". For instance, if I sell a service online, and someone from England buys it, that might count as "does business in England" but it doesn't make either me or the service subject to English law or jurisdiction.

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murjinsee 3710 days ago
Yeah, but at the same time... If they want to reap the tax benefits of basing themselves out of a country, I would argue that they should be subject to that country's rule.

Really, calling themselves an "Irish" company seems like tax evasion to me, if it's in name only, with none of the negative ramifications.

Edit: speaking with regard to Apple, though other companies are in the same boat.

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